Meat by numbers

82g The amount of protein the average Briton eats daily, of which 50g is meat, the equivalent of a chicken breast and lamb chop. The figure is relatively low for a developed country, but higher than developing nations and 25-50 per cent above the World Health Organisation recommendation.

8 The number of beef cattle we eat over an average lifetime. We also consume 36 sheep, 36 pigs and 550 poultry birds. Britons' meat consumption is now 50 per cent higher than it was 40 years ago.

500lb The amount of meat that is produced by the average cow.

1m tonnes The amount of beef we consume as a nation each year, along with 1.3 million tonnes of pork and bacon and 1.8 million tonnes of poultry.

990 litres The amount of water that is required to produce one litre of milk.

100kg The amount of methane emitted by the average cow every year. Methane is a greenhouse gas with an effect 23 times greater than carbon dioxide, so this is equal to 2,300 kgs per year, or almost the same as two return flights between London and New York, or driving 7,800 miles.

1.5 billion The estimated number of cows and bulls worldwide. They produce two-thirds of the world's ammonia, a contributing cause of acid rain.

7lb The amount of grain it takes to produce just one pound of beef.

36.4kg The amount of carbon dioxide emitted during the production of just 1kg of beef, according to a recent Japanese study. It also releases fertilising compounds equivalent to: 340 grams of sulphur dioxide and 59 grammes of phosphate. It consumes 169 megajoules of energy. In other words, one kilo of beef is responsible for the same amount of carbon dioxide emitted by the average European car every 250 kilometres, or the energy required to light a 100 watt bulb fo 20 days.

1kg The amount of carbon dioxide needed to produce one burger in a fast-food restaurant.

456 million The amount, in tonnes, of global meat production forecast for 2050 - almost double that of 2001. Half of the world's pork is now eaten in China, while Brazil is the second largest consumer of beef, after the United States of America.